Arielle Targan
High Queen Arielle I Targan '''is the current High Queen of Skyrim and the last known Dragonborn. Because of this, she is often referred to simply as '''Dovahkiin. After being born the illegitimate child of High King Istlod of Skyrim, she was sent away to the city of Bravil in Cyrodiil to live in an orphanage; due to her magical abilities, however, she was spared from that life and allowed to train as an apprentice of the court wizard, eventually succeeding him upon coming of age. As a part of Ulfric Stormcloak's bid to become king of Skyrim, he investigated all possible loose ends that could threaten his claim to the throne. Arielle, being a bastard and therefore having an incredibly loose claim herself, was one such loose end and assassins were sent to kill her. She survived, and ironically fled to Skyrim where she believed she would be safe. From there, Arielle hid at the College of Winterhold where she played an integral role in stopping Ancano from using the Eye of Magnus to wreak havoc across Tamriel, as well as discovering her role as the last Dragonborn. Partnering with the last two known members of the Blades, Arielle managed to defeat Alduin the World Eater. Along with this, she aided the Dawnguard in their war against Lord Harkon and stopped the rogue Dragonborn Miraak in Solstheim. After saving the world multiple times, Surgus, leader of The Black - a secretive guild of master assassins whom Ulfric hired to kill Arielle in the first place - contacted her. He informed her of her true status and convinced her that if she tried to be elected High Queen that the moot would select her. Originally declining his offer, she changed her mind when it was revealed that Ulfric was behind the assassination of Jarl Elisif the Fair which left him with no clear opposition in the moot. Seeing him as a threat to all of Skyrim, she began to raise support and declared herself Skyrim's true high queen. Many of the Jarls lent their support to her due to her role in the Dragon Crisis and eventually another civil war broke out between Arielle (supported by the Empire) and Ulfric. In the end, Arielle was successful and Ulfric was defeated and executed. Early Life By all accounts, High King Istlod of Skyrim was a man of honor and nobility. Like many lords, however, he succumbed to his desires and had a short affair with a Breton serving girl late in his reign. This affair resulted in childbirth for the servant, and thus Arielle was born. Istlod, torn on what he should do, decided that the baby should be sent away in order to protect his reputation. He arranged for Arielle to be sent reasonably far away to an orphanage in Bravil where she would be taken care of until she came of age. Bravil, of course, was among the poorest cities within the Empire. The orphanage that Arielle was raised in was funded by private charity and donations, and the people of the city had very little to offer. Therefore, she grew up poor and hungry. In spite of this, she developed a kindhearted personality due to the influence of the orphanage head, a benevolent and loving Khajiit elder named Ji'pi. Moreover, it was realized that Arielle possessed an incredible aptitude for magic at a very young age. Ji'pi hoped to use Arielle's talents to offer her a better life. Desperately, she pleaded for an audience with the Count of Bravil for several weeks before she was finally allowed to enter the palace with Arielle. From there, the young Breton was given a chance to display her talents. The Count was incredibly impressed and after some convincing from Ji'pi Arielle was given an apprenticeship with the court wizard. Arielle spent the rest of her childhood at court, learning a great deal of magic from the wizard. When her master became ill suddenly, she was eventually chosen to succeed him. Flight to Skyrim Meanwhile to the north, Ulfric Stormcloak murdered Torryg Targan, Istlod's son and successor, in an attempt to begin a rebellion to take the throne. Ulfric hired the incredibly secretive group of assassins known as "The Black" to investigate the Targan bloodline to ensure that no other loose ends existed. They turned up evidence of Istlod's affair and the records of Arielle's existence. Seeing her as a small but real threat to his claim, he sent the Black to murder her as discreetly as possible. In the middle of the night, Arielle was awoken by her assassins. After a brief struggle she managed to kill them, although she was wounded in the process. With little explanation of why she was targeted, she saw few choices besides fleeing the palace. She joined a merchant caravan headed for Skyrim, not knowing that she couldn't have picked a more unsafe place to hide.Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Dawnguard Category:Archmage Category:Bretons Category:Dragonborns Category:High Kings